Generally, carpet shipped from the factory has edges which are not suitable for making a seam with another piece of carpet. That is, in shipping the edges are frequently damaged. Also, the mill, in trimming the carpet, may trim the carpet fibers at an angle. In either event, the edges are not suitable to provide a neat seam in which the edges of the carpet all have the same height. Therefore, it is necessary to cut off the edges of many carpets prior to making a seam. This is time consuming and is generally performed by measuring and drawing a line along the carpet and cutting the carpet with scissors or a knife. This process is labor intensive and thus expensive, and yet frequently results in an uneven and unsatisfactory carpet edge.
The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for cutting a straight edge along a carpet which provides a neat and uniform edge for making a seam.